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Early years

Ernst Zundel was born on April 24, 1939, in a small town in the Black Forest region of southwestern Germany. A devoted pacifist, he emigrated to Canada at the age of 19 rather than be conscripted into the German military. Settling in Montreal, he soon married, was the father of two sons, and became a Canadian citzen. His career as a graphic artist was successful, with his work appearing, for example, on the front cover of Canada 's national news magazine, Maclean's. In 1968, Zundel ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party of Canada, losing to the Liberal Pierre Trudeau.

Zundel's two lengthy trials - the 1985 trial lasted two months, and the 1988 trial lasted four months - have been the closest thing anywhere to full scale debates on the Holocaust issue. For the first time ever, "Holocaust survivors" and Holocaust historians were closely and critically questioned under oath about their claims and views.

He continued his campaigns for justice and truth, and on September 19, 1992 was in London to address, with David Irving and Gregory Lauder-Frost, a Clarendon Club meeting of over 300 people on "The Media - Friend or Enemy of our Freedoms".[1]

Returning to Canada, his position there continued to deteriorate, and in 2005 Judge Pierre Blais stripped Zundel of his citizenship and ordered his deportation to Germany after a corrupt and unjust court case, rife with conflict of interest - Blais was a former federal Minister of Justice in charge of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service which provided secret evidence in the proceedings.

Zundel was then tried again in Germany and imprisoned for Holocaust Denial.

Zündel was released on March 1, 2010, five years after his deportation to Germany.[2] Following the end of his prison term, Canadian Minister of Public SafetyVic Toews reiterated that Zündel will not be permitted to return to Canada. "In 2005, a Federal Court judge confirmed that Zündel is inadmissible on security grounds for being a danger to the security of Canada," Mr. Toews said in a written statement adding that, "The decision reinforced the government of Canada's position that this country will not be a safe haven for individuals who pose a risk to Canada's national security."[3]